Haiti's Ruling Party: Préval's Successor Is Out

The Associated Press is reporting that Unity party candidate Jude Célestin is withdrawing from Haiti's presidential election because of pressure from the U.S., Organization of American States and local protesters. Célestin is the chosen successor of current president René Préval in an election that has been mired in controversy since Day 1. Government construction official Célestin had been heading to a runoff vote against former first lady Mirlande Manigat.

Rival candidates and some foreign governments questioned the results of the first round of voting that put Célestin in second place. An OAS-sponsored team of experts was called in to sort out the electoral mess. That analysis, which is not universally accepted, showed that tossing out fraudulent ballots resulted in popular singer Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly finishing second. U.S., French and Canadian officials, many of whom questioned the first-round results as soon as they were released, began applying pressure to the Unity party. Translation: Célestin is out. If he is out, then that leaves Manigat and Martelly in the race.

This election has more twists and turns than an episode of the Young and the Restless. Hopefully the end is nearing in what has been a complicated, intense and messy electoral process.

Read more at Yahoo News.

In other news: Aretha to Halle: You Don't Have to Sing to Star in My Movie.

 

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